


Not A Second More

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics), Robin War (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-27 22:54:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6303373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reunion was unexpected, but most definitely not unwanted. Jason did his job, and it was time for Damian to reap the rewards.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not A Second More

**Author's Note:**

> A shity part 3 to _[Safety in Secrets](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/post/139973225102/safety-in-secrets-fic)_ and _[Promises Kept](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/post/140782507017/promises-kept-fic)_ that I really didn’t mean to write. Supplemental listening: ‘Nobody Loves Me Like You’ by Low Roar.

Much like everything else in this… _ridiculous_ situation, it seemed Dick made it his mission to let Jason know something first. _Everything_ , first.

_I’m coming home, Jay._

It was a text message. From a number Jason didn’t recognize. And Jason didn’t know what that meant. He was coming home? Were the Talons forcing him to front an attack? Was he alone? Did they win? Did they lose even more than they ever imagined?

Regardless, he prepared to keep Damian close. Keep Damian and Tim both, close. Not hard when they were both still so shattered from finding out. Both so…numb to the world around them, still.

They were allowed back in the manor, after months of not. Word on the street was Bruce remembered everything again, including the fact that he had four very exhausted and war-torn sons who were more or less homeless.

They hadn’t seen him yet, but that was fine. He was the least of their problems. It was just that Jason would much rather keep his brothers safe in a giant, empty mansion than a tiny downtown apartment. And with this new announcement…well, he’d rather have the child soldiers in a place where they knew where the toys were hidden, rather than a one-room shack where they didn’t.

Speaking of the announcement, did Bruce know? Did Alfred or Superman or one of the girls tell him? Did Duke Thomas? Is that what he was doing, ever since he got those memories back, trying to bring his eldest home? Trying to save his youngest from another bounty on his head? From another attempt to savagely rip the child from their lives?

_When?_

It was the only thing Jason thought to respond with, because at that point it was the most important. He needed time to prepare. Prepare himself, prepare Tim, prepare Damian. It’d been a while, of course. Months, since the confrontation. Since Jason had to drag Damian away screaming. Since Tim shut down emotionally almost completely, finally getting that straw to break the camel’s back, finally suffering too many losses to recover from. Since Dick smiled at him so sadly before disappearing once more.

He didn’t know _how_ Dick was coming back, and being unable to be sure and warn the younger two properly was frustrating enough. He’d be damned if Dick tried to leave them _completely_ blindsided.

_Tomorrow._

Good. Because if Dick had said something like ‘tonight’ or ‘in an hour’ Jason might’ve had to shut down this reunion before it happened. Tim and Damian needed time to process, time to emotionally settle, before Dick was in front of them.

He’d promised the bastard he’d protect them, after all. And by god, that’s exactly what he was going to fucking _do_.

He waited an hour and a half before going and knocking on Damian’s door. Tim was in the room too, like he always was as of late, stretched across the bed, half-dozing and half-watching Damian paint at his easel by the window.

Neither looked at him when he came through the door. Neither _wanted_ to as he explained the situation, and what little information he had – a fact Damian so callously pointed out when he was finished. Jason didn’t blame him, couldn’t really. Not when Damian was still so busy blaming himself.  

Still, they talked about it. And Jason was relieved, when Tim suggested they made some sort of plan, thus forced them to talk about it further. Damian didn’t say much, but Jason didn’t expect him to. He was able to read his body language – the slumped shoulders, downcast eyes, clasped hands – and that was enough.

They didn’t talk about it the rest of the day, or the night, or even the next morning. But here at noon, the designated meeting time between the three of them, Jason found Tim and Damian sitting at the bottom of that too-grandiose staircase, watching the door.

“Are you two ready?” Jason asked softly.

Tim glanced coolly up at him, “Are you?”

Jason smirked, leaned against the banister, and got ready to wait. They had no actual time of when their double-agent brother was to return, after all.

They didn’t have to wait long.

When the doorknob jiggled, Damian sat up, blinking like a curious cat. Jason pushed away from the banister, stood squarely in front of them.

The door opened inward, revealing first Bruce, amazingly, and then Dick. Dick, who wasn’t pale or veiny or with glowing eyes anymore. Dick who looked _normal_ , in a leather jacket and a pair of jeans, with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

He heard Damian inhale behind him, heard Tim quietly move to comfort him.

Dick glanced up and immediately smiled at them, relief washing through limbs. Went to move towards them, when-

“Is it done?” Jason demanded, and Dick stopped in his tracks. Bruce did, too.

Dick blinked, much like Damian had, then fell back into that smile. “It’s done.”

“The deal’s off?”

“ _All_ deals are off.”

“…He’s safe?” Jason asked. “ _Damian’s_ safe?”

Dick’s smile had never been brighter. “Damian’s safe.”

Suddenly, there was a hand on Jason’s hip, and Damian was shoving him to the side.

“And what about you, Grayson?” Damian snapped, but it was desperate. “Are _you_ safe?!”

Dick’s smile melted a little bit, and slowly, he began to set his bag down.

“Yeah, Damian.” He whispered. “I’m safe, too.”

“Do you promise?” Damian shouted. “Are you _sure_?”

Damian was already taking off towards him as he said, “I’m sure, kiddo.”

For a few seconds, there was only the sound of Damian’s feet slapping against the hardwood floor of the foyer. But Jason watched, as Dick’s grin filled up his face once more. As he opened his arms and caught Damian easily. Lifted him from the ground as Damian wrapped his arms around his neck in a stranglehold, and spun him in excited, emotional, circles.

Jason glanced back at Bruce, who hadn’t moved from the door, hand still on the knob. He didn’t seem all that perturbed that, after months of not seeing either of them, it was Dick whose arms his biological son chose to run into, not his. Seemed _happy_ , in fact. Was watching this moment with quiet content just like he and Tim were.

Dick and Damian both were smiling when Dick stopped his rotations. Damian was nuzzled up against Dick’s throat, and Dick supporting all of his weight like he weighed nothing. Holding him so tightly he was leaning back. Kissing his forehead like he was an infant. Like he’d never done it before. Like he was never going to do it _again_.

“I’m safe.” He vowed, squeezing Damian again, holding the grip and glancing up when he saw movement. Jason let Tim go, didn’t stop the middle son from taking the same path as the youngest.

His job was done now, after all.

 _“I’ll keep him safe and away from the Owls, away from_ you _, until you get yourself out of this. But not a second longer, do you hear me?”_

Dick shifted Damian to one arm, held out his now open one for Tim to fall into. Held the both of them as tightly as possible, laughed too, even after Jason heard Tim distinctly say, “You’re an _idiot_ , Dick.”

“I missed you too.” Dick offered, pulling both boys closer against his chest. “Oh, I missed you both so much, every day…”

And as Dick fell into a litany of rambles and tears, of adoration and apologies, Bruce finally moved. Bypassing the touching scene in the center of the hall, and heading straight for Jason.

Jason only pursed his lips, crossed his arms. Bruce smiled at him anyway.

“You did good, Jason.” Bruce said. “Dick told me what he forced you to do. Told me everything you did for them.”

“Yeah?” Jason glanced around Bruce. Damian was staring up at Dick like he was the whole damn world. Tim was watching him like he was God himself. Dick was holding them both like they were the exact same things to him, too. “What of it?”

Bruce seemed to stumble, then. Unsure what to say, or how to respond. But, quickly, that smile came back to his face. “I’m so proud of you, son.”

Jason ignored the flush coming to his cheeks. “Dick told you to say that.”

Bruce laughed, a low rumble, a safe sound. “You and I both know he didn’t.”

And Jason dared. After everything, after all that had happened. The losses, the heartbreak, the _responsibilities_ , he let himself relax. Let himself hope. Let himself _have_ hope.

“Are you back, B?” He whispered. “Are you… _you_?”

Bruce’s smile softened. “I am.” He promised, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Now come on. _You_ need a break. And _we_ need to catch up.” He turned back to the huddle. “Tim, everything is the same in the kitchen, I presume?”

Tim turned back towards them, immediately dislodging himself from Dick’s embrace, like he was an unfocused puppy. Still, though. He’d greeted his long-lost brother; he had yet to greet his long-lost _dad_ , too.

“You know, I feel like I _should_ be offended you assumed _I_ knew all about the manor’s food situation.” Tim snapped playfully. Bruce just grinned as he passed, ruffled his hair and followed when Tim beckoned. Jason moved to go with them, but slower, pausing just slightly to look back at Dick one more time.

Damian was back in Dick’s full embrace, Dick’s cheek pressed tenderly to Damian’s forehead. Though Jason couldn’t see them, Damian’s fingers had to be digging into Dick’s back, judging by how tight his arm muscles were. Dick didn’t seem to mind. Just carefully ran one hand up and down Damian’s spine.

“I’m sorry.” Damian was whispering. “I’m so _sorry_ , Grayson. It’s my fault, it’s all _my fault-_ ”

Dick just smiled. Shushed him, and continued to hold him. “I missed you, kiddo.”

“I missed you, too.” Damian admitted softly. “I _missed_ you, and I’m _sorry_. I’m so-”

“I’m not.” Dick cut off, moving his hand from Damian’s spine to the back of his head as he glanced up at Jason. He let his smile shift, widen, melt with more emotion, as he stared at Jason knowingly and mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ – an obvious promise for the two of them to have their own reunion later. “I’m most definitely _not_.”

Jason paused, gave his own slow nod as he glanced at Damian – no longer in danger, no longer completely heartbroken, no longer _utterly shattered_ – then returned the smile, and followed after Bruce and Tim.


End file.
